Pub Heritage Crayford Arms
Greater London South East - Crayford
One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest
Listed Status: Not listed
37 Crayford High StreetCrayford
DA1 4HH
Tel: (01322) 555214
Website https://www.crayfordarms.co.uk/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/crayfordarmsDA1
Real Ale: Yes
Nearby Station: Crayford
Station Distance: 500m
Bus: Yes
View on: Whatpub
This mid-Victorian pub has three separate but inter-linked rooms still containing fittings from 1936, when the extension to the rear also created the third room at the back.
The main entrance leads to a lobby with an intact former bottle and jug bar that still has its counter and hatch, but of course is no longer in use as such. The left-hand door leads to the public bar but its better quality fittings such as the fielded panelling on the bar counter front and fielded panelling to two-thirds height on the walls suggests that this was originally the saloon bar. The bar back comprises panels with illuminated signing for both brewery and pub name in a style reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s , although from much later, having replaced earlier ownership details when taken over by Shepherd Neame. An impressive brass plate above the bar top acts as a bank of sixteen light switches individually labelled in a named sequence.
The door to the right leads to the saloon bar, with its cheaper fittings than the room on the left, such as the plain counter front and matchboard panelling on the lower section of the walls, tells us that this was probably the public bar. A somewhat surprisingly attractive feature here is a newer 'chandelier' made from old brown beer bottles. The two rooms are connected at the rear via a third room which has a another fireplace with herringbone brick infill, and a mixture of modern and aged panelling, the former predominating at full height.
Two-storey pub of brick and render, it was extended to the rear in 1936 by Reffells of Bexley and retains a number of fittings from 1936.
The main entrance leads to a lobby with 2/3rd height panelling and an intact former bottle and jug still with its counter and hatch but with later additions of two glass-fronted cabinets. Formerly, three separate rooms around a centrally placed servery but they are now linked together.
The left-hand door leads to the former saloon bar. Here the counter front has fielded panelling. The plainer finishing of the current saloon (to left) suggests this was once the public bar, having a pool table today. The walls also have fielded panelling, though it is unclear how old it is. The bar back comprises panels with illuminated signing for both brewery and pub name - similar to 1950s and 1960s refits - though the former is later, having replaced earlier ownership details when taken over by Shepherd Neame.
A door to the right leads to the former public bar. The corner door to this is now disused. The current public bar has a dartboard within - a notable feature here is a newer 'chandelier' made from old brown beer bottles - which suggests a swap between public and saloon bars has occurred at some time. Current saloon also features similar 2/3rd height panelling with a fireplace (though modernised), an open wooden staircase and fielded front panels to the bar counter from the interwar refit. An impressive brass plate above the bar top acts as a bank of sixteen light switches individually labelled in a named sequence.
The two rooms are connected at the rear via a third room (part of the extension) which has a another fireplace with herringbone brick infill and there is a mixture of modern and aged panelling, the former predominating at full height. In the 1980s, the Great British Boxer Lennox Lewis lived at the Arms and was known to have trained and boxed there.
